[45] The Mosiah Hancock Journal (Salt Lake City: reprint by Pioneer Press, n.d.), 11. Later, while reading the book History of the Prophet Joseph Smith by His Mother, I found Lucy Mack Smiths tribute to Emma: I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which . He did not court the women or put his proposals in romantic terms. . "Of these 13 locations, only four of them could be called her own," Delewski said. . Joseph and Emma adopt the Murdock twins nine days after birth. Emma, as she often did, was searching the home for Joseph when he and a girl were missing. She wrote to him that only God knew how hard it was for her to flee her home with her children, abandoning all her possessions and leaving her husband to endure whatever was to come. A few visitors from Brigham Young's faction of the Latter-day Saints came from Utah Territory to visit Smith at this house. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Conflicts between church members and neighbors also continued to escalate, and eventually Young made the decision to relocate the church to the Salt Lake Valley. The response, signed by Elias Higbee and John P. Greene, stated that if we should say what our present wants are, it would be beyond all calculation; as we have been robbed of our corn, wheat, horses, cattle, cows, hogs, wearing apparel, houses and homes. Twenty widows were entirely destitute. ( 6-8 Oct 1866, 36th Semi-Annual Conference, Bowery, G. S. L. City. The Mormon church has said for the first time that its founder Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives. [62] Eliza Roxey (Snow) Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1884), 45. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Following Josephs murder, Emma refused to go west with the Saints. [71] In 1837 the population was 1,653 according to Pat. She even owned cows and other items, possibly given as payment from students. [33] They sent agents eastward to deposit corn for Saints to use along the way, to contract for ferries, and to ensure security for the travelers. Imagine, then, her familys concern when she developed a fondness for Joseph Smith, who was from a poor farm family and had almost no formal educationjust that which his father had given him at home with a small amount of traditional schooling. Delewski also explored the effect the practice of plural marriage had on Emma and Joseph Smith's relationship. When he was murdered, she bent over him and expressed her sorrow that they had taken him from her. Emma served as a scribe during his first efforts to translate the Book of Mormon. Events of the 1838 Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. In a remarkable twist of irony, her version of history is increasingly the LDS Churchs as well. Health problems and deaths. Church leaders told fugitive Charles C. Rich to flee north into the wilderness and take all that I Could find of the Brethren that was in the Crooked river Battle. So he and others left Far West at midnight on November 1. What are various methods available for deploying a Windows application? Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. " Delewski said. She was able to utilize the properties she owned to support her family, but with difficulty, particularly since she was left to cover Josephs many debts. 11. Emma Hale Smith - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints She endured the jeering and insults of mobs. "My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticityI have not the slightest doubt of it," she testified in an interview she gave late in life. It was that she hated polygamy and flatly refused to countenance its presence among the Mormon people. Caroline suffered from dropsy, or painful swellings, and the cold intensified her pain. Thank you for your insight about and compassion for Emma, and for taking the time to write about and share it with us. Scores of Church members were living there, including Mary Jane York, William Hickman, John P. Greene, and Wandle Mace. [7] William G. Hartley, My Best for the Kingdom: The History and Autobiography of John Lowe Butler, a Mormon Frontiersman (Salt Lake City: Aspen Books, 1993), 8184; Baugh, A Call to Arms, 39296. At Quincy, where some Church members lived, John taught school for a short period. The Butler and Smoot families. [115] Joseph Smith and Others to Edward Partridge and the Church, March 25, 1839, in Times and Seasons, May 1840, 102, and July 1840, 13132. Since he did father many children with Emma, parenthood was possible, but there is, at this time, no biological proof of traditional marriage relationships and the only accounts came from others, not the women or Joseph. We were not permitted to leave Far West, Anson Call said, only to get our firewood. All but the youngest two had to walk every step of the entire distance. They were almost barefooted and some had to wrap their feet in clothes in order to keep them from freezing and protect them from the sharp points of the frozen ground. Son John, nine, later said that often the blood from our feet marked the frozen earth.[57]. 40 Wives . [4] William G. Hartley, Stand by My Servant Joseph: The Story of the Joseph Knight Family and the Restoration (Salt Lake City: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University and Deseret Book, 2003); and William G. Hartley, Newel and Lydia Bailey Knights Kirtland Love Story and Historic Wedding, BYU Studies 39, no. So Levi rigged up a foot lathe and soon had two hubs turned out and built a cart. . Dirty smoking school of prophets. It is the county seat for Adams County. He had been separated from the family for three months or more. FAIR is controlled and operated by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Joseph Smith and the Latter Day Saints leadership had always asked for help from the US government. The leather binding, the marbled inside cover, and the worn pages are beautiful and unforgettable. [100], In the morning of April 22, Dimick Huntington, at Emma Smiths request, went down to the rivers edge to inquire about news from the west, and spotted the Prophet. To begin again in Illinois was heartbreaking. . Were most of her songs from her Methodist tradition, or did she draw more broadly? [77] Kenney, Wilford Woodruffs Journal, 1:32930. Shortly after the doctrine of baptism for the dead was introduced in August 1840, Emma was baptized on behalf of several of her deceased family members, including her parents, an aunt, and one of her sisters. The temple site has been salvaged and given modern landscaping, but no houses remain. Because Joseph Smith was in prison during the exodus, attention focuses here on Joseph Smiths parents, his wife Emma, Elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, and four selected families: the John and Caroline Butler family, the Newel and Lydia Knight family, the Daniel and Martha Thomas family, and the Levi and Clarissa Hancock family. I asked my mother one day, why don't Grandma laugh with her eyes like you do, and my mother said because she has a deep sorrow in her heart. Early Life and Marriage of Emma Smith. L. Hannah Stoddard is the lead author of Faith Crisis, Volume 1: We Were NOT Betrayed!, Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial, and Faith Crisis, Volume 2: New Mormon History Exiled from Church Headquarters.She is the executive director of the Joseph Smith Foundation, and producer or director of seven . At the time of her birth, her parents had a good relationship with a prominent local family, which may have affected her name selection. [9] The men split into two groups to avoid attention. A number of teams arrived from Illinois to help move the last families. Other scribes would do the majority of the translation, but she filled in as needed. The Thomas family. Events of the 1838 Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. Three days later they reached De Witt, where they sold a property deed and bought a yoke of steers for $25 and a wagon for $30. [5] Meanwhile, a militia force headed to Adam-ondi-Ahman, made the Mormons there surrender, and on November 10 gave them ten days to relocate to Far West or elsewhere in Caldwell County. The CES Director asked Jeremy to send him a list of issues that had caused him to lose his faith, with the intention of helping him out. [8] Lavina Fielding Anderson, ed., Lucys Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smiths Family Memoir (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2001), 69192. [37], Elders Young and Kimball kept in constant contact with the imprisoned First Presidency by correspondence, messenger, and visits. Are Joseph and Emma Smiths descendants Latter-day Saints? Emma died peacefully in the Nauvoo House on April 30, 1879 at the age of 74. That did not stop Emma, a visionary woman in her own sense of the word. Joseph Smith did not have a Will but like today when the husband dies the surviving spouse is still entitled to a certain part of her husband's assets as defined by law, even without a will; but Emma would still have to go through court probate to obtain these assets. We put our goods into the wagon a second time, but the wagon was wanted for Emma and her family, so our goods were again taken out.[48] Stephen Markham, a member of the Committee of Removal, helped Emma Smith leave on February 7. Her family was religious, devoutly Christian. Her mother-in-law, Lucy Mack Smith, said of her: I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman.. [56] Daniel Stillwell Thomas Family History, 2729. Joseph and Emma apparently discussing the nastiness of cleaning up from cleaning up spit on the . 8 What did Emma Emma do for the LDS Church? The family filled the cart with corn. She had no example to follow and no real support group, as later women would have. A Comfort unto My Servant, Joseph. Women of faith in the latter days. . . Then on November 5 and 6, 1999, a Quincy History Symposium honored the citys humanitarian efforts for Saints who fled Missouri. A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints was published in 1835. [106] Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, xix. Food was scarce, and housing inadequate. Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania. -Stephanie. Browse the pages of the original 1835 hymnbook. A stone weighing about a ton was rolled to the southeast corner of the site. Eventually, however, she encountered a trial that became more than she thought she could handle. Emma Smith and the Pain of Polygamy | by Holly Hardy | Medium [6], In the exodus, Mormon militiamen were the first to leaveor rather escape. Since she left no journal, we dont really know what the entire truth about Emma Smith isbut we do know she was remarkable. Mormons had a divorce rate of about 1 percent. How many wives did Joseph Smith have LDS? We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. A Quincy Heritage Celebration was held July 24, 1999. At Adam-ondi-Ahman they obtained provisions from fellow Saints. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Some of Emma's friends, as well as many members of the Smith family, alienated themselves from Young's followers. [8] After eleven days travel, they reached white Settlements on the Desmoine River in Iowa. had not heard anything from me during this time, neither dare I write to [them].[68], At a March 17 meeting, Saints in Quincy heard a letter read from the Committee of Removal in Far West asking for teams & money for the removing of fifty families of poor Saints from far west to Quincy.[69] On March 29 the committee in Quincy wrote to their counterparts in Far West sympathizing with their extreme labor and travail to move out the last poor Saints. Delewski is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience working in mental health. 7 Are Joseph and Emma Smiths descendants Latter-day Saints? John Lowe Butler, for one, wanted his written record to stand as a witness against Missourians who were cruel to his suffering family during the exodus and earlier. William Clayton: Joseph's BFF, Nauvoo insider, early plural marriage At the time of the third printing, however, Vals bishop received a call from a higher-up in Salt Lake who said that two girls had written a book about Emma Smith and were not to be invited to speak about the topic in sacrament meetings. The Joseph Smith Papers project explains that Emmas work laid a foundation for the continued role of music in Latter-day Saint worship. Emma contributed in creating a distinct identity for the church because this hymnbooks lyrics emphasize key tenets of the religion.. in getting one single wagon to convey beds, clothing, and provisions for our family, and luggage. 801-422-6975. The author analyzes such factors as social/political issues, gender, race . That is her divine mission. He went to the room where the Committee of Removal was meeting and told them to wind up affairs and be off to save their lives. Her family had a fair amount of money. They appear, so far as we have seen, to be a mild, inoffensive people, who could not have given cause for the persecution they have met with. City leaders and residents suddenly had to deal with a humanitarian crisis thrust upon them. He helped shepherd Saints across Missouri by advancing with one part of the camp as rapidly and as far as possible and then returning with the teams to move others out. Her first three died so quickly they were not even named. A day or two later, a ferry finally dodged through the ice and brought the women and children across.[59]. On 23 December 1847, Emma Smith married Lewis Bidamon, who was not a member of the Church. Emma Smith's personality and background, her almost nomadic search for a home, the loss of so many she loved and the stresses of plural marriage all played a part in her decision to remain in Nauvoo. By primitive Missouri roads, the distance from Far West to Quincy was about 180 miles. [95] Kenney, Wilford Woodruffs Journal, 1:329. Emma was a significant part of the church while her husband was alive. It is possible that polygamy would have come more easily if it had not been added to an already extraordinary number of other trials and if she had not been the first wife to face it in the Church. [72] Roberts, Comprehensive History, 2:3. An upper route ran directly east from Far West; a lower route ran southeast from Far West and then east through the towns of Keytesville and Huntsville. [88] Richard E. Bennett, Quincythe Home of Our Adoption, 101. Joseph Smith in Northern Missouri, 1838 - Religious Studies Center It was difficult, dramatic, sometimes harrowing, and only partly organized. When the boy, Charles, was 4 years old, Emma took him in and raised him as her own. A few ancient metal plates that were described as being similar to the Mormon origin were discovered by archaeologists in recent years but the golden plates havent been found yet. In 1842, when the Ladies' Relief Society of Nauvoo was formed as a . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He attended school as they courted, trying to live up to her. Either Brigham Young was not aware of Babbitt's propensity for alienating those around him or, like Joseph before him, he overlooked his faults because he needed his legal knowledge. Snow was six inches deep. [108] According to calculations found in Samuel H. Williamson, Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 to Present, MeasuringWorth, 2008, a dollar in the year 2007 is 29.99 times what a dollar is 1839 was worth based on consumer price indexes. The religion rapidly gained converts, and Smith set up . We will look forward to reading more of your work. [76] Smith, History of the Church, 3:262. Then, because it was planting season, they moved about ten miles out and rented a farm. The biography Linda and Valeen published with Doubleday several years later was not so guarded, detailing Josephs many polygamous alliances, his repeated lies to Emma about those marriages, and her conflicts with his plural wivesincluding a much-debated stair-pushing catfight with Eliza R. Snow. Thomass version is in E. Kay Kirkham, Daniel Stillwell Thomas, Utah Pioneer of 1849, bound typescript, 26; wife Martha Pane Jones Thomass version in Kate Woodhouse Kirkham, ed., Daniel Stillwell Thomas Family History, bound typescript, n.d., n.p., 25; copies in authors possession. In intense cold, Lydia recalled, they sometimes scraped away snow beside the wagon so they could put down their beds at night. William G. Hartley was a professor emeritus of history at Brigham Young University when this was published. 1856Emma takes in orphaned Elizabeth Agnes Kendall, eight years old, and rears her as her own daughter . However, the LDS church cites Fanny as Smith's first plural wife, noting that the pair married in Kirtland, Ohio in the mid-1830s, when Smith would have been about 30 himself. In the meantime, Emma assumed that because these men represented the Twelve they acted on direct orders from Brigham. Tears roll down Emily Rennie's face as she recalls a church counsellor telling her she needed to give up her child for adoption because he was conceived out of wedlock one of the most . . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". [125] Animosity toward Missourians by Mormons and by Missourians toward Mormons lasted for generations. She, like others who knew him well, saw an innate intelligence, a willingness to work very hard, and great integrity. Emma Hale Smith was the seventh of nine children. Grant Building Modern DNA has ruled out all children Fran Brodie had proposed were his through other marriages. . Also, three men were sent to locate possible settlement sites up the Mississippi River in Illinois. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? The additions were Elias Smith, Erastus Bingham, Stephen Markham, and James Newberry (History of the Church, 3:24954, includes 214 names of those who pledged). In total, these petitioners losses totaled $2,275,789an average of $3,761 per petitioner. They formed the first wave of the exodus. Twas a very cold and blustering night. They put clothes over the wagon tongue to make a tent and put their beds underneath. When did Emma Smith leave the church? [116] A plague of sickness that befell Nauvoo residents in the summer of 1839 was due in large measure to physical debility caused by sufferings during the previous year. To understand her, we have to place her in her own setting and time, not in our own. Until that time, Emma had been largely written out of official LDS history. the Gospel Doctrine manual for church history. Given these losses, it appears to me that Emma managed quite well.". Why did Ema Smith leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Levis nearly five-year-old son Mosiah recalled, The snow was deep enough to take me to the middle of the thigh, and I was bare footed and in my shirt tail. They hitched their horse old Tom to the cart, Mosiah said, and father drove the horse and carried the rifle on his shoulder. It notes, Many of them crossed into Illinois at Quincy and were made welcome by the people here. In recent years, several related commemoration events have taken place in Quincy.[113]. Why is Emma Smith honored by the Church and its members? - Ask Gramps Has anyone seen the gold plates of mormon? - burungbeo.churchrez.org While Joseph was in jail, Emma made the decision to flee with the rest of the Saints to Quincy. John marked time until his family and his mother and brothers could join him in Quincy. We are sensible, brethren, that you have done all that you could do in removing the poor Saints, they said, adding that nor have we, brethren, been backward in exerting our energies for that purpose. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. On the Joseph Smith Papers website, readers can turn through the original hymnbook page by page. After the church dispersed in 1844, those folks who did not head west with Brigham Young kind of scattered until April 6, 1860 when Joseph's son, Joseph Smith III, was ordained prophet-president (Hence the name Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of LDS) The church did not bring into our beliefs doctrines dealing with the practice of secret . For example, in the support materials for the Joseph Smith manual, polygamy is once again nowhere mentioned. The second day we had to cross a long prairie, and were not able to reach the settlement. In 1888 a Lyman Wight cabin was the only building standing in Ahman, and by 1970 it was totally gone.[124]. . Many of the Saints were glad to find shelter in my house from the storms, he said. This made the poisoning accusation plausible for him. During Sunday dinner on November 5, Joseph became ill, rushed to the door, and vomited so violently that he dislocated his jaw. Soon after starting, her eyes became infected, so Martha Smoot walked beside her and led her along for five or six days. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. She had sufficient faith to avoid looking at the plates even when they were in her bedroom or kitchen, although she frequently felt them and moved them out of her way as she worked. On this same day, there was a skirmish between the mob and the Saints west of Big Blue River. How Orrin Hatch protected people of faith, KSL Newsradio is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. So, he said, Sold my cook stove and the only cow the mob had not killed. With that money he hired a man with a team to drive him, Lydia, and their three children east. According to Emma's great-great-granddaughter, Gracia N. Jones, Governor ThomasFord and 60 of his men were dining in the Nauvoo Mansion House at 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 1844the approximate hour of Joseph and Hyrum's martyrdom. When we came to within six miles of the Mississippi river, the weather grew colder, and, in the place of rain we had snow and hail. They walked six miles across low and swampy ground, sinking to their ankles in mud.
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